The present invention relates generally to a flying platform which may be robotic or remotely controlled, and particularly to apparatus for controlling the attitude of a platform in flight employing positionable trough shaped air deflectors.
A flying platform is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,111 by Moller including one or more ducted fans, each duct having adjustable vanes oriented generally in a vertical direction. Adjustable spoilers are shown positioned between vanes and provide for control of pitch and roll. The vanes are adjustable so as to direct the air flow in a sideways direction providing impetus for horizontal flight. The overall configuration of this invention provides a relatively narrow profile having low aerodynamic drag, which is desirable for horizontal flight operations. However, the spoilers cause a reduction in the air flow which reduces the lift capacity.
A design that optimizes the efficiency in stationary hovering and low speed lateral motion would be highly desirable. Also, the mechanical control mechanism employed is complex, employing a combination of multiple spoilers for pitch and roll control with separate vanes for yaw control. A simpler design could substantially reduce production cost and increase reliability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an efficient attitude control apparatus for a flying platform.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a flying platform with an attitude control apparatus having reduced mechanical complexity.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a flying platform with an attitude control apparatus having substantial control redundancy.
Briefly, a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a flying platform constructed from an air duct with an air intake on the top and an exhaust at the bottom, having supported therein a clockwise rotating fan and a counter-clockwise rotating fan. Directly below the perimeter of the air duct exhaust are mounted a plurality of trough shaped air deflection assemblies each including a rotatably adjustable deflector of half trough shape for selectively scooping a portion of the drive air, and an adjacent stationary deflector of half trough shape for receiving the scooped drive air and redirecting it outward and upward from the air duct. A centrally positioned plate has a plurality of rods, each pivotably connected between the plate and a corresponding lever associated with each of the adjustable deflectors so as to couple the adjustable deflectors in or out of the drive air stream according to the position of the plate, thereby providing control over the pitch and roll of the flying platform. The plate is driven by first and second motors responding to input control signals. The control signals also direct the yaw of the flying platform by selectively providing independent speed control to each of the clockwise and counter clockwise fan motors resulting in duct rotation in a clock wise or counter clockwise direction accordingly.
An advantage of the present invention is that the improved control apparatus results in reduced drag presented to the drive air flow resulting in increased lift efficiency.
A further advantage of the present invention is that the reduction of mechanical complexity reduces production cost and increases reliability.
A still further advantage of the present invention is the provision of a substantial control redundancy resulting in a reduction in the probability of catastrophic failure.